Western Museums Offer Unbelievable Sights & Interactive Fun

Western Museums Offer Unbelievable Sights & Interactive Fun

by Amy Lignor

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when someone says the word “museum”? Is it: fun, exciting, new, fresh, exhilarating…? Chances are, those are not the terms that come to mind; most likely, it is the thought that museums are all about education and learning. Now, perhaps there are some cool things in certain museums, like a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the lobby with its mouth wide open to greet you as you arrive, but essentially a museum is not something that lands in the top ten choices of what to see on your fun family vacation. But…that’s where you’re wrong. In fact, there are some museums out there – especially in the western half of the U.S. of A. – that hold all kinds of exciting and slightly odd things that you and the family would really get a kick out of!

Neon Museum Boneyard

Let’s begin with those out there who love odd collections. Built in 2010, the Ouray Alchemist Museum is actually dedicated to the early days of pharmacology. With artifacts that date back to 350 BC, this collection is extremely unique, with a large part of it discovered in a variety of mining towns located in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Here is where the snake-oil salesmen sold their goods, and those goods are almost unbelievable.

If you’re looking for something really out of this world, head to Santa Fe, New Mexico and take part in the Meow Wolf Museum. Here visitors can actually become a part of the working exhibits that all come together to form a mystery. We are talking about entering a jungle gym, walking through a chilling haunted house, and immersing yourself in a multimedia playground that was built to excite people of all ages. The concept of the museum is enchanting. Not a surprise, considering that the group behind its creation is made up of 100 artists that cover everything from painting to video production to audio engineers to writers, and the list goes on. And they use all of their outstanding skills and talents to make Meow Wolf an experience you will literally never forget and want to revisit again and again. They have also erected projects in Chicago, New York, San Antonio and are spreading their “immersive art experiences” across the country. Not only is this interactive, but you also get to hear master storytellers and listen to live music.

Meow Wolf Museum

One museum that is garnering more and more attention each year sits in Arizona and covers a rather dark, frightening subject. So why is this popular? Because there are millions who are not only interested in history, but there are also generations that wish to know more about the time of the Cold War: a time when the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union could have become a reality in seconds. Arizona’s Titan Missile Museum is the only remaining Titan II site open to the public. For those who are unaware, the Titan II was capable of being launched from its underground silo in 58 seconds, and could deliver a nine megaton thermonuclear warhead to its target more than 6,000 miles away in less than a half-hour. Scary to think about, but there was a time in the U.S. where 54 Titan II missile complexes stood “on alert” 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just waiting for the call. This is truly an awesome site to see.

For a completely different type of bright light burning in the sky, head to Las Vegas, Nevada where the Neon Museum awaits. It was in 2012, when the “Neon Museum Boneyard” opened. This nearly two-acre campus includes an outdoor exhibition space (AKA: The Boneyard) that features more than 200 famous Vegas signs, a visitors’ center, as well as the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which shows rescued signs that literally bring you back to the days when Vegas and mobsters went hand-in-hand. Hour long interpreter-guided tours are available, as well as self-guided tours that can be had seven days a week. This is where the most iconic signs of Vegas’s past went to die. Yet, over time, with the museum partnering with the city of Las Vegas, nine have been restored and re-installed throughout the downtown area.

So keep in mind, museums are about more than fancy artwork and old, dusty relics. Out in the West, there are interactive sites to behold that will literally blow your mind and add even more fun to your vacation.

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